A federal jury in California has sided with Masimo in a patent battle with Apple over the Apple Watch’s blood oxygen feature. The jury awarded Masimo $634 million in damages, concluding that Apple had infringed Masimo’s patent covering the functionality of a low-power pulse oximeter.
As explained in daily diaryMuch of the litigation centered on whether the Apple Watch could be classified as a “patient monitor” according to Masimo’s patents.
Apple argued that the term “patient monitor” refers only to devices designed for continuous monitoring. “An essential feature of all patient monitors is that important medical events cannot be missed,” Apple claimed.
One example Masimo used in the trial is the Apple Watch’s high heart rate notification feature. The company claimed that this feature qualifies as a “patient monitor” device because it detects high heart rates with 95% sensitivity.
Meanwhile, Apple claimed that this feature only activates if the user is inactive for at least 10 minutes, thus excluding the Apple Watch from the category of continuous monitoring devices.
The lawsuit itself was aimed at determining whether the Apple Watch infringed Masimo’s blood oxygen patent, rather than its heart rate monitoring feature. But Masimo used the high heart rate notification feature as a way to convince jurors that the Apple Watch was a “patient monitor.” Masimo’s entire case revolved around the Apple Watch, which falls into that category.
Therefore, the jury determined that the Apple Watch qualifies as a patient monitor for purposes of Masimo’s patents. In other words, according to the jury, Apple infringed Masimo’s patent on blood oxygen sensors.
The patent in question (Patent No. 10,433,776) expires in 2022. The ruling affects 43 million Apple Watches that were sold with infringing features. Apple argued that damages should be capped at $3 million to $6 million, while Masimo was seeking $634 million to $749 million. The jury ultimately awarded a verdict of $634 million.
Masimo said in a statement that the winners are “an important victory in our continued efforts to protect innovation and intellectual property.”
in a statement to ReutersApple said Masimo “sued Apple in multiple courts and asserted more than 25 patents, the majority of which were found to be invalid.”
“The unitary patent in this case expires in 2022 and is specific to historic patient monitoring technology that is decades old,” the spokesperson said. Apple plans to appeal the ruling.
This case is separate from the ongoing patent dispute between Apple and Masimo over the Apple Watch’s blood oxygen feature, which is currently being reviewed by the International Trade Commission.
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